


There's This Girl

by Tirgo



Series: FefNep Anthology [6]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkwardness, Crushes, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff, Flush Crush, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Girls Kissing, Hivebent, Kissing, Love Confessions, Nervousness, Obsession, POV Multiple, Pesterlog(s) (Homestuck), Rare Pairings, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Soulmates, Shipping, Soulmates, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27386272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tirgo/pseuds/Tirgo
Summary: Nepeta is crushing hard for a very cute sea-dweller girl that she's only met once. How will she approach this situation, knowing how shy she can get?
Relationships: Nepeta Leijon/Feferi Peixes
Series: FefNep Anthology [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047043
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	1. This One Girl

There was this girl Nepeta knew. Well, she didn't REALLY know her, but they were on the Blue Team together and had briefly met. She didn't know her name. And she couldn't stop thinking about her. They were a sea-dweller like Eridan. She was cute. Beyond cute. Nepeta didn't say anything to her when they had met. That's not because she was tongue-tied, she just... never did. Nepeta and her moirail had briefly linked up with Sollux, a friend of Karkat's, who was now hanging out with that girl. As for if that girl and Sollux were dating in any quadrant, she didn't know yet. She kind of wanted to know for the sake of shipping, but that was being outweighed by the slight worry that she might already have a matesprit.

It wasn't like she fell in love at first sight or anything. Sure, she thought the girl was cute, how couldn't she? But it wasn't until more recently that she began to truly occupy her thoughts. This girl wasn't just pretty, she was beautiful, and she wasn't just cute, she was adorable. Her whole attire was colorful, fashionable, and very cool, totally up Nepeta's alley. This girl felt like the kind of person that demanded your attention simply by being in the room. Nepeta found herself going over every detail she could remember about this girl. 

There was nothing she could do to deny it: she was crushing HARD. In a way, it kind of terrified her. For one thing, she was supposed to be keeping up with her SGRUB adventures, and she had been slacking off a bit ever since her thoughts had been consumed by this troll. For another, this wasn't like her last crush, the one she still harbored for Karkat. This was definitely a more intense feeling. She couldn't remember Karkat ever making her feel like she may be actually losing her mind. What was it about this girl? 

Nepeta sighed. She knew there was no way she could do anything about this. She definitely couldn't see herself being able to spit it out. Plus, she felt a little tentative about even talking to them, especially after all the thoughts she had had over them. It was way too embarrassing. She was at a loss. Still, she wanted to get to know this girl. If she were being honest, she hoped that maybe she could get them to fall for her first to spare her the embarrassment of confessing. That would never happen, though. Love wasn't something for her, she was merely an observer, after all. And, there's no way she could seduce anyone anyway, that would be mortifying.

Nepeta looked up at the sky, phone hanging precariously from her left hand. She was pretty sure talking to them would be okay. They were both on the Blue Team, right? Teammates were supposed to talk to each other, after all. She really did want to get to know this girl. Nepeta could feel her face flushing green as she thought about her again. "Oh, man..." she said aloud. "I'm a mess..."

Nepeta looked back down at her phone. She just wanted to confirm one thing, and she knew just who could confirm it for her.

\-- arsenicCatnip [AC] began trolling caligulasAquarium [CA] \--

AC: :33 < um hi eridan  
AC: :33 < befur i say anything else can you pawmise not to hit on me?  
CA: wwho wwere you again  
AC: :33 < oh dont even try that! youre my server player!  
CA: aint heard much from you lately  
CA: been kinda  
CA: idk  
CA: lonely  
CA: a little  
CA: wwanna take responsibility  
AC: :33 < youre such a cr33p!  
AC: :33 < i really cant believe i got stuck with a dumb idiot server player like you!  
CA: oww  
CA: you knoww  
CA: dont gotta wwound a mans pride  
AC: :33 < eridan i n33d to ask you about something  
CA: fine wwhat  
AC: :33 < so um  
AC: :33 < hows things going with your er  
AC: :33 < moirail  
CA: ok first of all i didnt fuckin evver come to you an just fuckin BASH YOUR DOOR DOWWN and say HEY FUCKWWIT YOURE MISERABLE like I KNOWW YOU DONT GOTTA TELL ME this type of fuckin insolence is the number one thing NUMBER ONE thing i cant fuckin stand in this cod forsaken sad thing wwe laughably call a lifespan  
AC: :33 < what in the hell are you talking about???  
CA: hmph  
CA: i didnt ask you  
CA: to fuck my day up  
CA: so fuck off  
AC: :33 < WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM EVEN??????  
CA: WWE BROKE UP  
CA: WWE ARE NO LONGER A COUPLE  
CA: THAT STOPPED BEING A THING AND NOWW I HAVVE NO FUCKIN QUADRANTS NOT EVVEN A ONE  
CA: do you evven knoww howw hard its been for me  
CA: that an fuckin sgrub  
CA: there are fuckin  
CA: ANGELS  
CA: EVVERYWWHERE  
CA: evverywwhere nep evverywwhere  
CA: and they wwant nothin more than your fuckin blood  
CA: i dont think i can mentally take this levvel of stress AN i dont evven havve a fuckin moirail anymore   
AC: :33 < is your ex moirail cuttlefishculler  
AC: :33 < thats who that is right  
CA: to evven go so far as to TYPE that out for me to fuckin see  
CA: you are literally the most inconsiderate person i havve evver met you know  
CA: out of em all you wwin  
AC: :33 < right thanks bye  
CA: WWAIT  
AC: :33 < what??  
CA: uhh  
CA: i dont knoww  
CA: wwanna hang out sometime  


\-- arsenicCatnip [AC] stopped trolling caligulasAquarium [CA] \--

She now had 100% certainty that the girl she had met was cuttlefishCuller. She considered her next move. It still kind of intimidated her to talk to someone she was flushed for. She blinked. She could ask for advice, she supposed.

\-- arsenicCatnip [AC] began trolling centaursTesticle [CT] \--

AC: :33 < purr purr  
AC: :33 < equiuuuuus  
CT: D --> Hello  
CT: D --> Are you still doing side quests on your world  
AC: :33 < oh  
AC: :33 < oh yeah of course duh!  
CT: D --> Don't you think you should be e%ploring a bit more  
AC: :33 < ill have you know im making so many boondollars!  
AC: :33 < anyway i kinda wanted to ask you something  
CT: D --> Shoot  
AC: :33 < huh?  
CT: D --> Fire away  
AC: :33 < oh okay well  
AC: :33 < ummmm  
AC: :33 < x33  
AC: :33 < equiiiusss  
CT: D --> Yes  
AC: :33 < equiuus  
CT: D --> Yes  
AC: :33 < equius it happened again   
CT: D --> Of course it did  
CT: D --> I told you not to go into those dungeons until you are better equipped  
AC: :33 < no not that!  
AC: :33 < its um  
AC: :33 < ummm!  
AC: :33 < UMMM  
AC: :33 < ok its a crush ok i have a crush on someone  
AC: :33 < flushed  
AC: :33 < equius im in so d33p i cant even handle this right now!!!!  
CT: D --> Someone besides Karkat, I assume  
AC: :33 < yisssssssss  
CT: D --> Should I be e%pecting you to tell me e%actly who it is, or am I to follow the process of elimination  
AC: :33 < ummmmmmmmmmmm  
AC: :33 < i cant tell you yet  
AC: :33 < speculate if you want though i guess  
AC: :33 < but equius  
AC: :33 < what do i do??  
CT: D --> What do you think you should do  
AC: :33 < i dont know! thats why im asking you isnt it?  
CT: D --> Do you want to act upon this crush  
AC: :33 < uhhhhhh  
AC: :33 < i dont know???  
AC: :33 < i ummmm  
AC: :33 < i do i do i really do i want to date her so baaaaaad  
CT: D --> It seems apparent that there is no time like the present for love  
AC: :33 < if you say so  
CT: D --> I would say to approach this person   
AC: :33 < and then??  
CT: D --> Talk to them   
CT: D --> Perhaps inject some subtle flirtations into the conversation  
AC: :33 < youre no help at all!  
CT: D --> It doesn't have to be complicated  
AC: :33 < rawrgh!!!  
AC: :33 < ok thanks ill go talk to them i guess  
CT: D --> Good luck  
AC: :33 < thanks :33  


\-- arsenicCatnip [AC] stopped trolling centaursTesticle [CT] \--


	2. cuttlefishCuller

\-- arsenicCatnip [AC] began trolling cuttlefishCuller [CC] \--

AC: :33 < hello!  
AC: :33 < im nepeta  
AC: :33 < were both on the blue team and sorta met a while ago too so i figured id reach out and say like hey hows it going wanna like idk well we dont really n33d to chat necessarily we can do whatever i mean we will just leave that part up to you and um so anyway i figured we are like team mates so we could talk about team strategies or whatever or we could just not really talk at all its up to you im not trying to be impawsing here!  
AC: :33 < um  
AC: :33 < can we just furget that last message was sent and just start ofur  
AC: :33 < uhhh  
AC: :33 < im on the blue team and im that girl you saw one time with equius  
AC: :33 < that big sweaty guy with the sunglasses  
AC: :33 < i was the girl  
AC: :33 < thats all  
AC: :33 < so yeah  
AC: :33 < hi  


Nepeta lowered her phone, groaning slightly and closing her eyes while doing so. She had totally screwed this up already, hadn't she? She couldn't even believe she had managed to get herself to send the first message. Once she sent it, she felt like she had to keep the momentum going... and now things were a total mess. She glanced at her phone a few times, waiting to see if cuttlefishCuller had responded to her mesage yet. She didn't. Nepeta started walking back to her hive. She could actually see it already, it had grown so tall. As her feet absentmindedly returned to the comfort of home, she started doodling on her phone's art application, making sure to keep a close eye out for notifications.

Her mind was swimming with thoughts. Should she say something more? If she were to say something more, what should she say? This was a message for cuttlefishCuller after all, she couldn't stand to just act rashly and say something stupid again. cuttlefishCuller deserved better. She seemed like a good girl. She definitely was a cute girl. A very, very cute girl. Nepeta lost track of her thoughts after this, spending the rest of her walk back coming up with little fantasies in her head and getting embarrassed at them. As she sat on her plush peltcushion (a nice alchemization, she thought) and impatiently waited for cuttlefishCuller's reply, her thoughts swirled. At some point, she found herself typing a message.

AC: :33 < um actually to tell you the truth i  
AC: :33 < well ive actually thought about you a lot  


Nepeta's eyes suddenly widened. What was she saying?!

AC: :33 < i mean   
AC: :33 < i thought about how we should be talking more  
AC: :33 < as members of the blue team  
AC: :33 < and stuff like that  
AC: :33 < not like ive b33n like just sitting here like cuttlefishculler huh   
AC: :33 < so just furget about that too  
AC: :33 < theres a lot to furget here  
AC: :33 < um maybe we could just start all the way over from scratch  
AC: :33 < *ac rolls her eyes at this mess!*  
AC: :33 < this could pawsibly be the worst and dumbest introduction anyone could ever have  
AC: :33 < i pawmise im not actually an idiot even if i make it s33m that way!!!  
AC: :33 < umm  
AC: :33 < ok only start reading from this point right here  
AC: :33 < \-------------------------------- READ ONLY UNDER THIS LINE ---------------------------------------------  
AC: :33 < hi im nepeta   
AC: :33 < and um  
AC: :33 < thats it  
AC: :33 < ok ill stop saying dumb things now in fact i wont say anything more at all befur you do  


Nepeta managed to stop herself again. She was in utter despair. There was no return. She had ruined her chances with this girl forever. Right when it felt like she was about to start tearing up, she suddenly noticed pink words appear on the screen, much to her shock.

CC: O)( my! )(ello! 38O  
CC: O)(, I remember you!  
CC: You were so adorable!  
CC: If it wasn't for t)(at grump Sollux, I would )(ave went over and tried to talk to you!  
AC: :33 < huh??  
AC: :33 < really??  
CC: Of course! W)(y would I lie?  
CC: In fact, I )(ad wondered if I oug)(t to get to know you mys)(ellf.  
CC: We are team mates, after all! 38)  
AC: :33 < um yeah!  
CC: O)( yes, excuse my manners.  
CC: Feferi Peixes, former )(eiress, current Blue Team member.  
CC: Nice to meet you! 38)  
AC: :33 < furmer heiress?  
CC: It sure looks like t)(ere isn't muc)( need for a )(eiress anymore! 38)  
CC: My lusus agrees wit)( me, too.  
CC: I'm just living in t)(e moment, you know? T)(e future is w)(atever we want to make it!  
AC: :33 < i totally agr33!  


Nepeta was maybe the happiest she had ever been in her life. She hadn't ruined everything. And it seemed like maybe cuttlefishCuller (Feferi) actually wanted to talk to her? Despite this, she was mostly lost on what to say. She felt sort of dazed. This daze was swiftly broken when she realized what Feferi's newest message said.

CC: 38)  
CC: So...  
CC: Been t)(inking about me a lot?  
AC: :33 < ummmm  
AC: :33 < like i said i just meant to say i was thinking of getting to know my fellow team members more!  
CC: A lot, though? 38O  
AC: :33 < yes well  
AC: :33 < umm  
AC: :33 < i just get nervous to talk to people sometimes and thats why i ended up thinking about it a lot   
CC: O)(, I see!  
CC: You don't need to be nervous to talk to me! 38)  
CC: I won't bite.  
CC: Well, unless you want me to!  
CC: I know, dumb line, sorry.   
AC: :33 < ummm i dont know  
CC: )(u)(?  
AC: :33 < i mean um  
AC: :33 < so anyway we were talking about  
CC: Your nervousness?  
AC: :33 < besides that!  
CC: You... t)(inking about me a lot?  
AC: :33 < NO!!  
CC: W)(en you t)(ink about me, w)(at do you picture?  
AC: :33 < HUH???  
CC: You said you've t)(oug)(t about me a lot. W)(at do you see in your mind w)(en you t)(ink about me?  
CC: I'm just curious.  
AC: :33 < can we just forget about the whole thinking about you a lot thing??  
AC: :33 < its not like i just sit around all day picturing your face or your body or whatever!  
AC: :33 < its just about being team mates okay???? so just relax!!!!  
CC: Okay... 38O  
CC: So w)(atc)(a want to talk about, team mate?  
CC: Strategies?  
AC: :33 < ummmmmmm  
CC: Want to get toget)(er? 38)  
AC: :33 < huh what??  
CC: We could meet up and formulate team strategies and stuff!   
AC: :33 < what??  
CC: Say yes say yes say yes!  
AC: :33 < okay yes!  
CC: YAY!  
AC: :33 < but why?  
CC: You seem like a really valuable team mate, someone I'd like to )(ave on my side.   
CC: We should spend some time t)(inking out our next move toget)(er!  
AC: :33 < umm  
AC: :33 < okay!  
AC: :33 < im just surprised   
CC: )(ow soon can you meet? W)(ere are you?  
AC: :33 < um!  
AC: :33 < uhh  
AC: :33 < um  
AC: :33 < my planet lolcat  
AC: :33 < umm  
AC: :33 < whenever  
AC: :33 < yeah  
AC: :33 < so  
AC: :33 < yeah you can just like  
AC: :33 < swing on by and   
AC: :33 < we could talk about strategies  
CC: Okay!  
CC: I'll let you know! 38)  


\-- cuttlefishCuller [CC] stopped trolling arsenicCatnip [AC] \--

Nepeta dropped her phone.


	3. Feferi

Nepeta paced her hive nervously. Her crush, Feferi, was due at any minute. She couldn't wrap her head around it at all. She had already seen that Feferi had a bit of a bubbly personality, but she could have never expected to almost immediately go from first conversation to talking in person. Then again, she supposed that it was normal for most trolls to just meet people face to face all the time. Nepeta's stomach squirmed. It wasn't that she didn't like people, she really did, but sometimes it was really hard for her to talk to strangers. To make matters worse, Feferi wasn't just Nepeta's teammate. Little did Feferi know, Nepeta was in love with her.

"Hi!"

Nepeta was nearly startled out of her skin as she realized Feferi was already there. She had evidently just let herself in. Feferi was wearing a very nice sundress which had colors resembling the t-shirt-and-skirt combo Nepeta had seen her wearing the first time. Her hair looked as though it had been recently washed and she smelled faintly of ablution soaps. She also thought perhaps Feferi was wearing more makeup than before, although she would have to get closer to really tell. She made a mental note to get closer to Feferi.

"Um... hi...?" came Feferi's voice, a hand waving somewhere in front of Nepeta's eyes.

"Huh?!" gasped Nepeta.

"You were totally spacing out!" said Feferi enthusiastically, grinning.

"Um... sorry..." said Nepeta apologetically, looking away nervously.

Feferi had approached her and was now closer than Nepeta had expected her to come. She could now confirm that Feferi was wearing more makeup. Her brain was working really slowly, almost like it was taking the time to carefully catalogue every new detail. Nepeta scowled at her own idiocy. She had to get it together, immediately.

"D-difficult trip?" asked Nepeta hurriedly, rushing off to prepare some tea at the nearby crisprange. "I hope you didn't have to come too far..."

Nepeta was pretending to check the kettle (which didn't need to be looked after) when she felt something touching her and jumped. Feferi had wrapped her arms around her from behind. "F-Feferi...?" asked Nepeta, bewildered.

Feferi's soft hug was quickly retracted. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she said. "I thought maybe you were the type of person to like hugs. I won't do it again."

Feferi really did look sorry. "No, no, that's..." Nepeta blushed. "Um... it's not that I didn't like it... I..."

Feferi laughed. "Don't worry about it!" she said cheerfully. 

Just then, the teakettle behind Nepeta started screeching, surprising them both. Feferi wandered off while Nepeta quickly knocked up two cups of tea for them. As Feferi wandered around, looking around at Nepeta's hive, someone came down the stairs from above. 

"Hello!" said Pouncesprite, stifling a yawn with one mouth while the other spoke jovially.

"Why, hello!" said Feferi, who looked delighted to see Pounce. "Are you Nepeta's lusus?"

"Yiss," said Pouncesprite.

Pouncesprite had a yawn so big that it forced the use of both mouths. "Excuse me," he said politely, a sleepy note to his tone.

With surprising speed, he either leapt or hovered (it was hard to tell) into the nearby elaborate alchemized cat bed. Within seconds, he was sleeping silently, one mouth very slightly ajar, drool beginning to emerge from it already. Nepeta chose this moment to bring Feferi her tea, which she took with a polite smile. Feferi continued to observe the snoozing lusus as she sipped from the cup in a manner befitting a sophisticate. "Do you drink a lot of tea?" asked Nepeta.

"Sometimes," said Feferi, smiling. "You can't drink it underwater, but it's something I see a lot on land. Dignitaries, military leaders, whatever. Only the higher ups are drinking anything that soft, though."

"I like tea..." said Nepeta, her voice still somewhat quiet. "I didn't have it very often before now, but more recently..."

"Yeah, now you can have all the tea you want!" grinned Feferi. "Do you ever get tired of it?"

"Actually," said Nepeta. "there are different sources all over the place which each have a different type of tea... there could be hundreds in all. So, there's a lot to um... try."

"That's cool!" said Feferi. "My planet is pretty, but it doesn't make nice drinks for me..."

Feferi gave Nepeta a smirk. "Want to go over strategies now?"

"Oh! Yes!" said Nepeta, startled.

At once, she put down her untouched cup of tea and bustled over to a desk, grabbing at papers. She returned as quickly as possible, holding a couple dozen sheets of paper. "Uhh, this one, uh," she stammered, reading one of them, using it to cover her blushing face. "If we were to, uh, attack an imp from behind, then... um... but that's obvious, I..."

The words on the paper were suddenly obscured by Feferi's hand. Feferi forced Nepeta to lower the papers. "I'm glad you prepared but... honestly, I'm not here to talk strategies!" she said, laughing. 

"Oh!" said Nepeta, feeling relieved. 

Nepeta put the papers back on the desk and returned. When she did so, it was a couple moments before either of them spoke.

"Um..." began Nepeta. "If you're not here to..."

Nepeta faltered and fell silent. Nervously, she glanced up at Feferi. Their eyes met for the first time since Feferi had arrived. Nepeta quickly looked away, but as if she couldn't help herself, she just as quickly looked back. Feferi really was stunningly beautiful, Nepeta thought. How could she have never thought to get to know this girl? Feferi smiled warmly. "Wanna play some video games?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, sure!" said Nepeta, looking away again.

Nepeta showed Feferi to her dedicated gameblock, housed on the third floor. "I thought that since I could alchemize this stuff, I might as well..." she said.

Feferi looked delighted at Nepeta's collection of alchemized games. "You even have a couch!" she said happily. "I always wanted one of these."

Nepeta was momentarily unsure what Feferi was talking about, until Feferi plopped herself onto the loungeplank. She had to remind herself that Feferi was, after all, royalty. Feferi patted the space next to her with a grin, motioning for Nepeta to sit down as well. Nepeta did sit down, albeit on the other side of the couch. Feferi, obviously unimpressed, quickly moved over so that she and Nepeta were sitting right next to each other. Feferi held up a controller. "Ready to get schoolfed, Nepeta?" she said, grinning evilly.

Nepeta, who considered herself a pretty decent gamer, felt herself incensed by Feferi's challenge. The next few hours went by quickly. Nepeta and Feferi faced off in many different games, trading wins. As they played, their casual competition faded into a more relaxed tone as they began to chat. Nepeta felt her nervousness steadily evaporate as she spent more time with Feferi. She wasn't scary at all. Feferi was hilarious, adorable, and surprisingly cheeky. They ended up talking about many things, including gossip over random troll pairings (Feferi seemed to think that Vriska and Tavros may have actually started dating, Nepeta was holding out for more proof), their awesome lusii, what life was like back on Alternia, random internet memes, etc. They talked and played together so long that Nepeta started to feel a little sleepy, though she hid all signs of it, hoping this night would last forever. 

"In retrospect, I suppose it should have been obvious that he was actually flushed for me," Feferi mused, taking a break from the game and half-laying on the couch now. "He sure didn't seem to really care about us as moirails..."

"He's a jerk!" said Nepeta scornfully. "I don't know how you put up with that guy for as long as you did."

Feferi laughed a little. "He was a handful, that's for sure! I have a much better moirail now, though."

Nepeta's heart skipped a beat. 

"So... you, um..." said Nepeta, trying to sound casual and normal. "Sollux and you are..."

"Yep! Moirails!" said Feferi, her enthusiasm stifled by a wide yawn. "Oh my, I'm getting tired. I should be getting to sleep soon."

"Oh, um..." said Nepeta, failing to not sound dejected. "Well, it was nice hanging out with you today..."

Feferi raised her head to look at Nepeta quizzically. "I can't sleep here?" she asked, as if that were to be expected.

Nepeta blushed. "Th-that's fine, no problem!" she stammered. "Of course you can!"

Feferi seemed to be on the verge of saying something, then looked away. She gave another yawn, but it seemed a little forced. "Umm, actually, I just remembered that I really should be getting back," she said, hopping up from the couch. "I have to feed my lusus soon or else they'll start killing more than the imps!"

Feferi was smiling and laughing like normal, but Nepeta was stunned. Nepeta guided Feferi to the door without saying anything. Feferi seemed a little nervous to leave for some reason. The two of them stood at the doorway for some time awkwardly. Although she hadn't expected Feferi to want to stay in the first place, it still hurt for her to leave after saying she would. What had she done to make Feferi change her mind? Maybe Feferi just realized that she didn't want to hang out with her anymore. Maybe she was never going to see Feferi again. Nepeta mentally shook herself. That can't be it, Feferi couldn't hate her if she had just spent all that time playing games with her. "Ummm..." came Feferi's voice.

Nepeta looked up, surprised out of her thoughts once again. "Oh! Sorry, I was spacing out," she gave a fake chuckle. "Safe trip home!"

Nepeta left Feferi at the doorway and bustled off to the crisprange, making tea on instinct. She felt so horribly awkward all of a sudden. How had she spoken to Feferi so casually just minutes ago? Suddenly, the air between them felt so stiff. Nepeta gripped the kettle handle harder than necessary. What did she do? Somehow, she had screwed it all up again--

Arms wrapped around her once again. Nepeta's head began spinning at once. She had a severse case of deja vu. On top of that, she was certain that Feferi had left. Nepeta turned around to face her. "What... why are..." she stopped when she saw Feferi's expression.

Nepeta recognized Feferi's expression at once. She looked as though she gazing upon something precious, something dear to her. She had seen similar looks on the faces of romantic comedy stars for sweeps. She felt soft hands touching and holding her face. Nepeta's brain stopped working. She had no idea what was going on. Feferi's face suddenly inched closer. Nepeta was staring at her lips. She instinctively closed her eyes just in time for their first kiss. Her brain didn't seem to be able to work anymore, but it didn't have to. Feferi broke off from the kiss, and Nepeta looked into her eyes, which were now swimming with tears. 

"I love you."

Nepeta was shocked at Feferi's confession. Given the way Feferi immediately pulled her in for more kisses, it didn't seem like she was lying, either. Feferi loved her? Feferi was kissing her? She wrapped her arms around Feferi and held her tight, shoving her face into her shoulder. "N-Nepeta?" asked Feferi uncertainly.

She gripped at Feferi as tight as she could, crying now herself. Feferi hugged her back, but seemed concerned. "Are you okay? she asked gently.

Nepeta softened her grip and looked at her again. "I... love you... too..." she said, barely managing to get the words out.

Feferi looked somewhere between shocked and elated. Immediately, she started peppering Nepeta's face with little kisses, making her laugh. "Hey!" said Nepeta, giggling.

Feferi grabbed Nepeta's face again. She seemed to like doing that. "Will you go out with me?" she asked urgently.

"Yes," said Nepeta.

The two kissed again, and kissed many more times that night, recuperacoons forgotten for hours to come.


	4. Nepeta

There was this girl Feferi knew. One day, while questing with her new moirail Sollux, she happened upon two fellow team members. She was immediately drawn to the girl with the messy hair and the jacket too big for her. What a cutie, she thought to herself. The girl spent most of their meeting hiding behind her moirail and apparently trying not to be noticed. Feferi couldn't keep her eyes off her. She wanted to go right over and talk to her, but she glanced at Sollux, who was already in a testy mood today. It would be best to let this chance meeting pass uneventfully and to talk to her later, she figured. A few hours later, she was already regretting it. She hadn't even learned the girl's name! 

Over time, Feferi began to think about that adorable girl more and more. She was very interested in learning more about her. She seemed incredibly shy, but Feferi liked that about her. It would probably be best to ask others first. Sollux didn't seem to know her very well, as she was more Karkat's friend and they had only briefly spoken before. She asked Karkat, but he scolded her for "TRYING TO GET A QUADRANT FILLED WHEN SHE SHOULD BE FUCKING QUESTING". It wasn't like she wanted to date this girl... was it? She was awfully cute. Feferi found herself wondering what it would be like to hold her, to cuddle with her, to kiss her. The thought made her blush. She started having fantasies of getting the girl to open up to her. After a while, she couldn't deny it anymore: she was truly flushed for someone for the first time in her life. Even after learning the girl's Trollian (arsenicCatnip), Feferi couldn't bring herself to start a conversation. Somehow, every opening message she tried to write seemed stupid. Why was she so nervous?? Days went by and still she couldn't pluck up the courage. 

Suddenly, one day she noticed that she had received several new messages while she wasn't paying attention. She nearly fainted of shock when she saw who was contacting her. It was AC herself, introducing herself as Nepeta. Even more shocking than that were the messages she sent. Feferi couldn't be certain, but she felt as though Nepeta may be flushed for HER. Nepeta seemed incredibly nervous and awkward. That would perhaps not seem totally out of character for the girl she had met, but more than that, Nepeta seemed to accidentally let it slip that she 'thought about her a lot'. Feferi's heart was beating faster than it ever had before. She had to confirm it.

Their conversation was relatively brief, but eventful. Nepeta had agreed to meet her. Feferi could barely contain her excitement. She did twirls through the waters of her planet, flitting around in an exubert display of joy that only a sea dweller could provide. She had to temper herself, however. She wasn't yet certain that Nepeta was flushed for her. It would be better for her to try and keep their meeting friendly in case it turned out that she was wrong. She couldn't make any moves on her yet.

When she arrived at Nepeta's hive, the sight of her darling Nepeta working at a stovetop was just too much for Feferi to handle. Before she knew it, she was holding the girl in her arms. Nepeta was soft, huggable, and utterly delicious. Feferi regretted her hasty action mere seconds later when she realized what she was doing. Nepeta seemed to be somewhat receptive, which made her feel a little better. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had nearly jeopardized everything. For the rest of her time there, Feferi decided to make sure that she didn't do anything more to potentially put this date in danger. They had to part on good terms.

"So... you, um..." said Nepeta, whose voice was shaking slightly. "Sollux and you are..."

"Yep! Moirails!" said Feferi happily.

Something in Feferi's gut seemed to tell her that she had the green light. Nepeta seemed to be worried that Sollux could be her matesprit? Based on everything she had seen, Feferi was now confident: Nepeta liked her. She decided to make her move. She quickly faked a yawn. "Oh my, I'm getting tired. I should be getting to sleep soon," she said pointedly.

She cast the line. She waited anxiously to see if Nepeta would take the bait.

"Oh, um..." said Nepeta, who sounded somewhat crushed. "Well, it was nice hanging out with you today..."

Feferi, surprised, looked up. "I can't sleep here?" she asked, confused.

Nepeta blushed. "Th-that's fine, no problem!" she stammered. "Of course you can!"

Feferi seemed to be on the verge of saying something, then looked away. She gave another yawn, but it seemed a little forced. 

Feferi paused. She had screwed up. She had played her cards too soon. What was she thinking?! She had completely deviated from her plan. This was all going too fast! If she didn't leave things now, Nepeta would surely get skittish. If she had to admit it to herself, she just didn't want to face any kind of rejection from Nepeta. She didn't want to have to face a night where things became awkward between them. She had to leave, now. "Umm, actually, I just remembered that I really should be getting back," she said, hopping up from the couch. "I have to feed my lusus soon or else they'll start killing more than the imps!"

Feferi tried to keep her tone casual, but something was definitely wrong. Nepeta stayed silent as they returned to the doorway, failing to look at her. When they got to the doorway, they stood there awkwardly. Feferi's head was swirling. Had she just made things worse? Would it have been better if she had just stayed over as promised? She almost felt like crying. She had probably messed up this entire date somehow. Maybe she had been overthinking everything? Or not thinking enough? Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was astonished that she was crushing this hard. She had never felt so nervous in all her life. She had to say something, to leave things off on a positive note, to leave the door open for them to become friends. "Ummm," she began.

Nepeta's head snapped up, surprised. It was a familiar sight by now. "Oh! Sorry, I was spacing out," she said, chuckling. "Safe trip home!"

With that, Nepeta turned and walked back to the stovetop. Feferi felt somehow rejected. She made to close the door, then stopped. Her hand was shaking on the doorknob. She looked back at Nepeta. With a jolt of shock, Feferi noticed that Nepeta was shaking too. At once, she rushed over and took Nepeta into her arms once again. She didn't care anymore. After a few moments, Feferi felt Nepeta's slight shaking stop. Nepeta turned over in her arms. "What... why are..." said Nepeta, suddenly stopping short.

Feferi stared into the eyes of the girl she loved. She knew all along that Nepeta was adorable, but over time she had realized that Nepeta was also beautiful. She was exactly Feferi's type down to a tee, and they had so much fun playing together. Nepeta's face was so soft, so cute. She couldn't stand Nepeta not knowing how she really felt. Something in Nepeta's expression made it seem like maybe she had been expecting what Feferi was about to do. Feferi kissed her, softly. At once, she almost began to cry. It was impossible for her to hold it in any longer. Her heart felt like it was about to burst.

"I love you," Feferi said quietly, desperately.

She needed Nepeta to understand. They kissed again, and Nepeta began to return it. At once, Feferi's tears fell. It was as good as a confirmation to her. She was right, Nepeta really did love her too. Suddenly, Nepeta broke off and hugged her tight. "N-Nepeta?" asked Feferi uncertainly.

Feferi held Nepeta in her arms gently. Nepeta's intense hug seemed to be almost desperate. Feferi couldn't tell exactly how Nepeta was feeling right now. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.

Nepeta's grip steadily loosened, and eventually, she looked up at her. Feferi was surprised to find that Nepeta was crying. "I... love you... too..." she said, evidently with difficulty.

Feferi was so happy, she felt like screaming. She decided to kiss Nepeta all over her face instead. "Hey!" said Nepeta, giggling.

Feferi grabbed Nepeta's face again. There was one last thing she needed to confirm. "Will you go out with me?" she asked urgently.

"Yes," said Nepeta, smiling.

They kissed again and again. It would be a long time before either of them felt like going to sleep.


	5. Secrets Revealed

When Nepeta woke up that morning, it took her a moment to remember what had happened the previous night. The two of them had returned to playing video games, with frequent breaks to fool around. Finally, when Nepeta had actually drifted off in the middle of the match, she admitted that they should get to sleep. Now awake, Nepeta turned her head to the left and was momentarily surprised to find Feferi sleeping in her recuperacoon right next to her. Nepeta got out, making sure to stay as quiet as possible. She didn't want to disturb her matesprit. As Nepeta got washed up, her mind began to wander. She knew she should be happy, and she was, unbelievably so. She could hardly stop grinning. Still, eventually her thoughts came around to the secret she had withheld from Feferi. She began feeling anxious. Of course, it wasn't strictly necessary for her to tell Feferi about it, but she still felt somehow guilty. As she started to get wrapped up in her own thoughts, she spent an unusually long time in the ablution trap.

-

When Feferi woke up that morning, she was mometarily surprised not to find Nepeta sleeping in the recuperacoon right next to her. She looked around, then noticed the sounds of running water in the next block stop. Feferi got out, prepared to take her turn getting washed up (she hated slime). After a few minutes, Nepeta emerged, freshly clean, her hair still wet. Feferi felt like attacking her right then and there, but she was still covered in the accursed slime. After a brief 'good morning', Feferi rushed into the bathroom to free herself of the embarrassing slime. As Feferi got washed up, her mind began to wander. She knew she should be happy, and she was, unbelievably so. She could hardly stop grinning. Still, eventually her thoughts came around to the secret she had withheld from Nepeta. She didn't know if it was actually necessary to tell Nepeta about it, but she still felt somehow guilty. As she wanted to kiss Nepeta as soon as possible, she got out of the bath tub unusually fast.

\--

Feferi took a sip of tea. All this tea wasn't great for her gastric evacuation glands, but all of the flavors were delicious. Nepeta sat down on the couch next to her with a cup of her own. After a second or two, Nepeta moved over a bit to snuggle up to her. Feferi smiled. "Look at you," she said.

Nepeta blushed and started to drink her tea. "What do you think of the tea?" she asked Feferi.

"It's delicious!" said Feferi happily. "What's it called?"

"Umm... it doesn't really have a name..." said Nepeta. "I just find these tea bags all over the place, most of the chests have a dozen or so in them. But none of them are labeled..."

"We should spend some time figuring them all out!" said Feferi enthusiastically. "Then we can market them to the others!"

Nepeta seemed surprised, then smiled. "Okay!" she said excitedly. 

The two sat and sipped their tea for a few moments. These moments continued for a little while. Nepeta wondered if maybe she had missed the cue to say something more. Feferi felt the same way. At almost the same time, both of them began to feel a bit awkward. Then, at almost the same time, they both remembered their guilty feelings. They both thought about what to say, if anything. 

"I--" "Um--"

Nepeta and Feferi gaped at each other. "Um... you first!" said Nepeta hurriedly.

"No, you first, I insist," said Feferi.

The two of them awkwardly looked down at their tea in unison. It was a few moments before either of them spoke again.

"Well--" "I--"

Nepeta and Feferi looked at each other, then both laughed. "No, really, you go first" Nepeta insisted.

"Okay," said Feferi timidly. "There's... something I think that... maybe you should know..."

Feferi glanced up at Nepeta, who seemed to be doing her best to have a 'I'm listening' face. "Umm... well, I... before we really met, I... actually..." she seemed to be trying to force herself to say something difficult. "I had a huge crush on you... before we ever talked. And um... I don't know... it was..."

"Really intense?"

Feferi looked up. Nepeta looked both curious and surprised. "Um... yes. Really intense..." she said nervously. "I couldn't stop thinking about you..."

Nepeta broke into a huge smile, blushing hard. "But... that's what I was going to tell YOU!" she said, astonished.

"Huh?" said Feferi.

"I had the BIGGEST crush on you! I couldn't stop thinking about you even for a second!" said Nepeta excitedly, putting down her tea so she could grab Feferi's left hand.

Feferi put her tea down too and took Nepeta's hands in her own. "You... r-really?" she said, stammering slightly.

Nepeta nodded vigorously, her face shining dark green. Feferi pulled Nepeta into a hug. After a couple seconds, Nepeta happily returned it. It was unbelievable, they both thought. "I'm so lucky..." said Feferi softly. 

"You're the lucky one?" said Nepeta.

Feferi gave her a kiss. Nepeta gave her a kiss back. All awkwardness forgotten, the two had become completely in sync, their hearts beating as one. It wasn't often that matesprits immediately knew that they would stay together for a long time, but both Feferi and Nepeta knew from that moment on they would be inseparable. And nothing could have possibly have been better for either of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


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